Senior patrons mourn closure of Internet cafes

The party ended at midnight Friday for Sarasota County's neighborhood mini casinos, but the goodbyes started much earlier.

Jean Baker wanted to cry.

The 83-year-old was at Jacks Are Wild on Clark Road in Sarasota by 9 a.m. It's her morning routine: Coffee, doughnuts, gambling, socializing.

Six other women do the same thing. They sit together. People call them "The Calendar Girls" after an irreverent movie about older British women.

But with their "social club" now illegal under state law, the friends said farewell Friday.

"It sucks, truthfully," Baker said.

Florida lawmakers banned "Internet Sweepstakes Cafes" in April but Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight gave local operators a 45-day grace period to comply with the law.

Starting today, Knight said anyone caught operating one of the simulated slot machine parlors is likely to be arrested.

Manatee County already cracked down on the operations and most closed without incident. Knight said he expects the same thing to happen in Sarasota County, but is preparing for raids if necessary.

"I expect we'll be making a charge here in the near future," he said.

Jacks Are Wild owner Ron Carabbia planned to close at 11 p.m. Friday to avoid cutting it close.

Carabbia is still holding out hope that a judge will overturn the new law or he can find machines that comply. He visited three states last month to meet with software makers.

Jacks Are Wild has become a mini gambling empire, with three locations between Sarasota and Bradenton, 50 employees and a loyal following after five years of operation.

Walking through his crowded business Friday, Carabbia was approached by customers offering words of encouragement.

"Fight it!" Baker demanded.

"You think I'm going to put up a white flag?" Carrabia responded.

Other customers were angry, yet resigned.

"I've got a feeling it's probably over unless they kick all of the legislators out of office," said North Port retiree Ron McDaniel.

McDaniel and his wife, Dawn, drove to Jacks Are Wild Friday for "one last hurrah." Other regular customers had the same idea.

By noon all 106 machines were in use. There was a waiting list with a dozen names. Nearly 300 people had visited by 2 p.m.

Earlier in the day, a communal jackpot went off and everyone split $4,200.

Osprey retiree Bill Moran won $71 but he doesn't really care about the money.

The 82-year-old has a Navy pension, Social Security and income from rental properties. He gets by just fine. The daily trips to Jacks Are Wild and other sweepstakes parlors were entertainment.

"It's a meeting place, an oasis in the middle of the desert," said Moran as he sipped on a Coors Light.

What bothers Moran the most is that state leaders did nothing about the sweepstakes parlors for years, then suddenly reversed course. The crackdown on an industry that had grown to hundreds of locations statewide and an estimated $1 billion in revenues came after a scandal that ensnared the lieutenant governor involving a chain of Jacksonville cafes.

"It's like giving a kid an ice cream cone, letting them take one lick, and then throwing it away," Moran said.